Katie Nicholl hasn’t been writing that much for Vanity Fair lately, and that’s making me very suspicious. Nicholl is very much a Cambridge-friendly royal reporter, although Nicholl tries to act like she has exclusives about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as well. While her VF work is possibly drying up, Nicholl still contributes to various British outlets, and she’s often doing interviews on True Royalty TV, which I only know about because commentators are constantly quoted in the Mail about it. That’s what happened here – Nicholl made some interesting comments to True Royalty TV. Those comments were about the Queen’s relationship with her favorite son:
Sheltering Prince Andrew at Balmoral and ‘privately funding his fight against US sex abuse lawsuit’ is damaging the Queen’s image, a royal expert has claimed. Prince Andrew, who is now back at his 30-room mansion at Royal Lodge in Windsor, had spent three weeks at Balmoral with his mother and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, allegedly to avoid having papers notifying him about the bombshell sex case.
Her Majesty, 95, also agreed to pay for the duke’s legal defence last year shortly after his disastrous interview on BBC Newsnight, according to the Daily Telegraph.
But royal correspondent Katie Nicholl told True Royalty TV’s The Royal Beat that the Queen ‘so publicly supporting Andrew’, who has ‘no accessible money’, is ‘damaging her image’ – particularly in America.
Ms Nicholl said: ‘Andrew hasn’t got any… accessible money. They’ve just had to sell their chalet in Verbier – there was a massive mortgage. I don’t think there’s the money you would associate with a dukedom. [The Queen] is giving him shelter. She is allowing him at Balmoral and allowing him to sort of hide in her skirts. And I think that is for the Queen’s image, particularly in America, it is damaging for her. People are concerned that the Queen is so publicly supporting Andrew.’
“I think that is for the Queen’s image, particularly in America, it is damaging for her…” What’s funny about all of this is that the royals and the British establishment always wants it both ways – they want to be full-throttle anti-American when they’re within Britain’s borders, but as soon as they’re speaking to an American outlet or trying to sell their sh-t internationally, suddenly they care deeply about what Americans think. No one seems to realize – except maybe Katie Nicholl, of all people – that royal gossip and royal media is no longer local. It hasn’t been local since the 1980s. It’s global, and there are a lot of people paying attention to how the Queen is protecting Andrew, versus how the Queen and the establishment exiled Harry and Meghan. The Queen does care about what the American press is saying, just as she cares about what the Commonwealth press is saying.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.
It kind of makes sense: one of the arguments for keeping the monarchy seems to be that it’s good for tourism, and presumably tourists from the US mostly aren’t interested in taking their kids to see the palace where the rapist’s mom lives.
I think they also VASTLY overestimate how interested most everyday Americans, ESPECIALLY the young, are in the royal family. My son grew up in LA like Meghan and I know he could never name them all, and he’s completely uninterested in them. BUT! He was totally excited to see Meghan and Harry’s wedding ! So they got rid of the one couple young people could give a shit about. I hope I get to see the monarchy go away in my lifetime. It’s more then time.
I was going to say the same thing. Americans are not that interested in the BRF. Most Americans know about Harry and Meghan because their treatment was widely reported in the US.
I follow royal news here on CB but my husband wouldn’t even be able to recognize the Queen if she stood up in Times Square and proclaim that she’s the British monarch. He would most probably just right her off as another Times Square loon.
Well, that ship has sailed, at least for me. The last several years have been vastly enlightening in terms of Britain’s royal family, and I doubt that my opinion of them will ever recover.
They will never recover because they refuse to admit to and learn from their mistakes.
Same. What I don’t get is that if she—or all of them—care so deeply about their reputations around the world and whether or not people like or dislike what they’re doing, why don’t they change what they’re doing? It seems like they really think that if they just wear the right clothes, or go on the right engagement, or release the right picture of the children, or have the right article written about them, that they’ll suddenly be able to convince *everyone* that what they’re doing is good and right and that they’re good people. And it seems like for the last few years, they’ve been flailing around PR wise, trying to figure out what that one magical thing is—is it Sophie? Is it Louise? Is it Kate being a rock? Is it Kate wearing a dress? Is it Kate being a regular degular stay at home mom? Or is it Kate being a high powered CEO? Is it William in a rage? Is it William the kind dad? Is it hating Harry and Meghan? Is it getting Harry and Meghan back? Is it trips to Scotland? Is it trips on a train? Is it 24/7 coverage of Philip’s funeral? Is it, is it, is it…..? And they obviously haven’t found it. They haven’t found the right talking point or messaging that will suddenly excuse all of their horrific actions and make people okay with what they’re doing.
So why not just…..change what you’re doing? Maybe don’t let your sex trafficking rapist son come stay with you for weeks while he’s trying to avoid being served. Maybe don’t keep using your Queen’s consent to exempt yourself from diversity in hiring and environmental protection and investment laws. Maybe don’t keep having secret meetings in Scotland with politicians. Maybe don’t keep dragging your hate of the Sussexes into every single little article that’s written about any of you. Maybe don’t participate in cash for access and honors and citizenship schemes. Maybe don’t pay for your rapist son’s legal battles. Maybe don’t pretend that BLM and vaccines are political. Maybe don’t go to murdered women’s memorials as a way to center yourself. Maybe don’t ask for millions more pounds to fix up your palaces when you were already given millions of pounds to maintain your palaces.
I think this really illustrates how much of a scam the BRF is, and how they absolutely know they’re a scam. Because they will never change how they operate, they will always be hateful and corrupt, changing is not even an option they’re considering. They just want to find a way to spin it all and convince people that the bad/expensive/illegal/corrupt things they do are actually good and necessary. They’re looking for the right lies. They want to actively deceive. And all just to perpetuate a monarchy that benefits themselves but no one else.
Yes, yes, YES to all of this!! 👏👏👏
And to add to everything you’ve said, AmyToo, the deeply cynical performative actions and words of the RF reflect the fact that they really, really, really really think that they are better than you and me. Smarter, wiser, more virtuous. That’s why for human rights issues are seen as merely political. Because, really, they are better than us. And frankly, as a person with (half) British parentage, as far as I’m concerned this was and has always been historically the essence of British identity, at least up to recent generations.
You think it occurred to the BM that it was offensive to say that, “no, we didn’t hate Meghan because of her race, it was because she was American”? I guarantee people were shocked when Americans reacted badly to that. People on twitter were bewildered that Americans and Canadians were taking the side of the Sussexes.
So no pivoting possible for them, not possible.
@ Amy Too, so spot on in every aspect of The Royal Family and their actions!!!! Thank you Amy Too for pointing out the obvious!!
All so true. I think Americans started disliking the RF when we realized Diana was sacrificed for the royal family, especially the queen’s behaviour right after her death. It is glowingly apparent the queen really feels she and her children are truly better than everyone else even their spouses and her grandchildren except George, despite all evidence to the contrary. Diana, Megan, and Harry could have been so good for this institution. I think her sister could have been better for it too if she had been allowed to marry Peter Townsend and develop. The monarchy is toxic. Crushing people and forcing them to bow to the mediocre among them because of primogeniture. I think this class thing has been stifling for the UK and is so at odds with the modern world. You lcannot stop time. You either grow as a leader and move forward or your organization withers. You cannot keep it at a stand still doing what you have always done.
👏👏👏
OMG, this x 1,000!!! Yes! Yes! Everything you said, @Amy Too!!
Agreed. We Americans drop-kicked the BRF nearly 250 years ago. I always want to say to my Brit friends: “Come on in. The water is warm!”
She’s damaging her image in the UK too. And that is what she needs to worry about most. Funny how i haven’t seen one of these hacks mention how she was boo’ed in Scotland.
Was she really boo’ed in Scotland? I didn’t know that; that’s *hilarious*! I would’ve LOVED to have seen the royal expressions on their faces with that one…lol!
I wonder if she realizes that *THIS* will be her legacy. Eff the last 70 years, her name in the history books will be linked forever to Diana’s death, Harry’s exile for protecting Meghan from racism and general hate, and her unwavering loyalty and protection of her rapist/pedophile son. Good job Liz, if you want to eff it up, might as well do it *royally*
I would love to see her dump his ugly, pedo ass publicly.
Coupled with Harry’s comments during the Oprah interview about the complete lack of support from his family, the same family protecting Andrew. People know why and we don’t like it.
That’s ok. The United States was literally inspired by the damaged image of British royalty in America. If King George III could survive that, I am sure she will do just fine…
@Chaine
LOL This kind of thinking (i:e that the Brit Monarchy will be around forever) comes from folks with no sense of human history.
That statement is literally comparing apples to oranges. Times have completely changes. You are comparing the 1700s to the 2020s and all that happened in between. The British Crown losing its empire… independence of its colonies… the industrial revolution… newspapers…the end of slavery…. the internet…. human rights….. women’s rights…the Geneva Conventions…. One could go on and on.
Times have changed and people have changed. Just the thought of the Queen being booed 30 years ago would have been unthinkable.
Sheltering, aiding, and abetting pedophilia/ephebophilia will do that to you! Even when it’s your favorite son. ESPECIALLY when it’s your favorite son. Hunh… guess she didn’t realize that, up there in her little yes-man bubble.
“….back at his 30-room mansion at Royal Lodge in Windsor….” with *how many* bathrooms??? Inquiring minds *still* wanna know!
Funny…she hid her head in the sand and dithered for SO many things over her reign…guess she should’ve continued to do so for this, if she wanted to leave the world with a slight shine on her.
Nice to know the curtain is being pulled back and everyone can see the evilness behind the curtain.
`And I think that is for the Queen’s image, particularly in America, it is damaging for her. People are concerned that the Queen is so publicly supporting Andrew.’
For sure! 100!
Like another commenter wrote, “I would love to see her dump his ugly, pedo ass publicly.”
Me too! That would be so awesome. But I have a feeling he is manipulating her as he has always been her favourite. I have a brother who is the black sheep and he was always able to dupe my mother. I am guessing something similar is happening here.
No sh*t Sherlock. Are they just now realizing that harboring Andrew is damaging the queen, and therefore, the monarchy? Anybody with two brain sells to rub together can see that. How is the monarchy still functioning!? They should’ve shipped Andrew’s trifling ass to Siberia a long time ago.
It’s definitely damaging her image in particular and the image of the royal family in general. It’s like I said in the other post about William – THIS is why he wants it known that he isn’t supporting Andrew and wants Andrew permanently out as a working royal.
There is a great deal of affection in the US for the queen (to the extent that people think of the royal family) and I think this is definitely hurting her image here. Honestly, this is an “easy” scandal for the public to understand – andrew was cavorting with a rapist who trafficked teenage girls and one of those girls says that Andrew raped her. That’s not that complicated, in terms of headlines and the like. Even people who don’t follow the royals are going to associate Andrew with Epstein and its not a good association. And yet the Queen lets him hide out on her Scottish estate and prohibits the press from any pictures.
No there isn’t affection for the queen. Ever since she basically shit on Diana, then used Diana to prop up her lame children, no one likes her. I don’t understand why people liked her racist butt or her pervy husband. She’s a the woman who chose to not use her influence to better people. She chose to continue racism and classism and prop up a group of ignorant inbreeds while holding onto stolen loot from commonwealth countries.
Our circles must differ, because I know a lot of people who will say things like “after the queen goes, the monarchy should end” or “the queen has done her duty well” etc. It’s been over 20 years since Diana died, a lot of people don’t remember or don’t care about what happened then, they see the queen as their grandmother, even here in the US. (why do you think the palace was so worried about the Crown? It was reminding a lot of people about what happened.)
I’m not saying she’s a saint, because everything you said about her is true, but there ARE many people here in the US who like her.
Omg the cover picture for this post 😂 (the last picture on this post)
Katie Nicholl is probably busy re-writing her 2018 book on Harry and Meghan. There are still people alive who remember how the Queen treated Diana so I think only the die hard Anglophies care about the Queen.
I mean, yes, this is certainly true— however, it pales in comparison to how much damage was done to the image and reputation of the Queen and the monarchy as a whole in the US because of the way Meghan was treated. Most people who pay any attention to news and current events were vaguely aware of Sussexit to begin with, but after the Oprah interview, that family was DONE here. Americans now automatically think “racists” when the BRF comes up. And despite Harry saying his relationship with her is fine, everyone knows she didn’t lift a finger as her grandson and his wife were tormented for years on end.
So while Mummy’s coddling of Andrew certainly isn’t helping, she’s made her choices, and has to live with the consequences. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
In my experience, Andrew isn’t that big of a deal here in America? Everyone knows he’s a gross, criminal pervert who was friends with Epstein and who is now dodging the FBI (and people who watched the Newsnight interview knows he’s as dumb as a rock). But generally, he doesn’t tend to get very much attention in the States. That could definitely change once Ghislaine’s trial is underway, though, depending on what comes out.
They have alienated the American audience in too many ways to count over the last several years. The thing is most Americans don’t pay attention to the royal family. For that reason, when they do actually bother to pay attention, the royal family needed to make sure that what we were seeing in that brief moment we glanced their way was something positive and endearing. The RF did the complete opposite of that. They sheltered an ephebephile and refused to cooperate with authorities, used the whole of their power and influence to shelter a criminal while simultaneously loudly boasting about the way in which they ostracized an American for being “too American.” Americans got the message. Loud and clear.
This comment encapsulates so much of what I’ve been sharing with my husband about the current BRF saga. Brexit was “supposed to” strengthen the Commonwealth and lead to great global trade deals, including with the U.S. And instead of making hay with assets like Meghan and Harry on both fronts, they pissed in their own pool with Andrew and shat on Americans and PoC worldwide with the anti-Meghan hate, but still expected us to admire them. The delusion is staggering. Another brilliant commenter on this site said “watching Britain right now was like watching a snake it eat itself” and she wasn’t wrong.
I’m not sure Americans pay attention to the RF unless they do something heinous, anyways. No one stateside cares much about Earthshot or Chucky’s organic farming, arguably two worthwhile ventures (Earthshot is a hot mess, but it’s something). The RF gets attention in the USA when it’s hit by scandal: Diana’s divorce and death, Meghan being abused, etc. That being the case, I would think that the royal jackasses would want to be sure to minimize scandal and bad press to the greatest extent if they really wanted to play to American sensibilities. But there’s not a one among them with the smarts or sensitivity needed to read a room …
I feel like the royal family barely cares about the US or commonwealth media. They’re too insular, arrogant, and racist. Maybe some of their advisors care.
In terms of economics and foreign policy, they definitely care.
I never understood why the UK government and BRF did not care more about the Commonwealth.
I think they care very much, but only as far as it assuages their egos. There is a section of the CBC online news called Royal Fascinator (get it? Blergh) that is super pro-royal, and even that writer can’t ignore this anymore in her columns, and she’s certainly tried to.
Also, this isn’t about a “bombshell sex case” it’s a “bombshell RAPE case”. Ugh.
Yes!!!
Calling it a “sex case” is so outrageously horrible!
It’s not about sex, it’s rape of a minor and trafficking them internationally to abuse them. The way they write, it sounds like a consensual affair. So very wrong.
So another RR has a firm grasp on the obvious, does she? Thanks, Katie. You can go home now. Stay there while you’re at it.
Just America?
Right! I’m not aware of other countries saying the Queen is doing the right thing by protecting his skeevy ass.
Camilla Tominey, on the other hand, thinks it’s probably a great and noble thing.
Well, they aren’t really looking to the European continent for much right now (except possibly to blame people), Asia, South America, Africa, and the non-white bits of the Commonwealth never matter to them, the white parts of the Commonwealth are assumed to be loyal and obedient until they forcibly remind the UK that they are independent nations now by actually speaking on a matter in international press and they’re too concerned about economic issues and the plague right now to make big public pushes against the monarchy…that really only leaves the US to for them worry about, from their point of view.
the queen is safe for now, while she’s old and still alive but, trust, a hundred years from now, this will look really bad.
history will not be kind to her.
It would be an even worse look if Andrew spilled the beans on the entire Windsor clan.
I think that the queen is a rather unremarkable woman who has been too busy to stay educated and au courant. She wants to follow the job description as created many hundreds of years ago.
I also believe that she truly believes that royal BLOOD is better than any other. She’s an enabler for some huge narcissists: Charles, Andrew, and William are all massive egos who need to be massaged all the time. If they have a “job” at all, it is to root for and show up for England. The Queen has done it, Princess Anne does it, Harry and Meghan could have found ways to keep the royal family a compelling force for good in the UK had they been allowed. But the family is now reliant on buttons, hats, grifting, grafting, and ganking. Their fatal error has been in believing that the royal “blood” is simply a “get out of jail free” card.
I believe their only hope is to have Andrew turn himself in to the judicial process and also to admit the premise of royalty is flawed and ugly. Whether they can pull anything decent out of this is limited by those arrant errant egos.
I have always liked the Queen. I admired her dedication to her role. I’ve read many times about how “the Queen has never set a foot wrong” and see it repeated regarding Kate. But, if I had to identify one thing the Queen has done to benefit her people or humanity in her long reign, I don’t think I could. The Queen’s achievement is just the length of her reign, but she appears to have not done much that is notable. Recent reports of the palace’s failure to comply with legislation addressing racism in the work place, and her lobbying to not comply with environmental regulations in Scotland has certainly made me think less of her and the thinking of her court. She is starting to strike me as someone who, because she was so young when she ascended the throne, was bullied into always taking the advice of her private secretaries and advisors without the knowledge, education, or perhaps strength of character to question them and carve out a more modern model of a monarchy that reigns but does not rule. It’s easy to never set a foot wrong if you don’t do anything and just follow a path laid out for you. You can’t achieve progress or change without rocking the boat. “Never setting a foot wrong” is not something to be proud of if it means you have no accomplishments that you’ve had to fight for. More and more, I see the British monarchy stuck in a mindset at least a hundred years out of date.
@Tamsin, excellent post! ITA with everything you said.
Maybe it is the fact that I’m American but I think it is absolutely f*ing BONKERS that any country has a legit royalty in 2021. yes, America has celebs and such we treat like royalty but to have actual, government funded royalty? I’ve realized lately I am a complete anti-monarchist.
LOL.+1
The Queen only accomplishment is sitting on the throne for the last 70 years. Diana in her short life accomplished much more than the Queen did in her 95 years on this rock.
There is nothing that can be held up as an accomplishment that made a difference in the lot of her subjects. Clearly she could have accomplished a lot, because she was quick to lobby government when their actions affected her personal circumstances.
Think of those wretched gatekeepers to the royalty, all those snobby courtiers who think they’re just as royal as their wards. These bozos are mismanaging everything as well in order to maintain their precious status quo. And funnily enough, their ineptitude, entitlement and bigotry is going to cost them those positions they covet so badly. And it will be well deserved and about time.
I remember seeing them in such a different light during the Trump visit — like the white supremacy, tax evasion, connections to Epstein, general sense of entitlement, mediocracy hiding behind weird outfits, underlying cruelty, etc. — it was like, oh, they’re cut from the same cloth… Not really classy at all. I wonder if anyone else felt that…
@Sue Denim, good point. I’ve never been one to suffer fools gladly, but 4 years of Trump has lessened my tolerance even further. Mango Mussolini really underscored the ridiculousness of being reverential towards someone just because he/she has a fancy title and occupies a position of power. It really opened my eyes to just how undeserving many of these people are.
Down with the whole damn lot of them